Saturday, December 7, 2013

Google's Android OS may have a leg up on Apple with a new app that has been developed. In this video from Reuters, Jim Drury explains how a group of eye-care professionals designed an application that allows Android devices to be used as mobile eye exam units. This will make the diagnosis of eye problems for hundreds of thousands of people who cannot travel to the city much easier. Third world countries will definitely benefit from this amazing new app!

If you have can't decide whether Google's Google Now voice recognition software is better than Apple's Siri, then this video could help. Watch 50 voice commands put to action by the two programs, and see which one you would prefer to have. This video from Phone Buff demonstrates the ability of these two programs to translate voice commands into action.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Still undecided about purchasing an iPhone 5s? Check out this video review of the new model and see if the new features are what you're looking for. Remember to check out our selection of iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c models in our Bytes 4U section.

Apple is still maintaining a tight grip on its supply of
iPad Minis with Retina Display. The much coveted device is still not available
in carrier stores, and this could be because the Cupertino company does not
feel its supply chain is strong enough to maintain the demand in carrier
stores, as well as in Apple’s own direct customer base.

As of this morning (Friday, December 6), Verizon still has
the iPad Mini with Retina Display backordered all the way out till December 16th.
AT&T is not looking any better with its 21-28 day waiting period when the
tablet is ordered online. Neither of the carriers has offered any information
as to when the iPad Mini with Retina Display would actually be in their brick
and mortar stores, according to CNET. T-Mobile has not yet given a date as to
when the iPad Mini with Retina Display would be available. The company’s
website simply says that it will be “available for shipment soon.” Apple’s
direct availability of the tablet has seemed to improve in recent days, as the
waiting period is now listed as 5-7 days, rather than the 5-10 days that had
been listed last week.

The cellular models of the iPad Mini with Retina Display are
now available for walk in purchases in some Apple retail stores in the U.S.,
although Verizon and AT&T still do not have the tablet.

Apple’s launch of the iPad Mini with Retina Display was
uncharacteristically quiet, with the tablet being launched on the company’s
website at midnight, and with no public announcement. This is probably due to
supply constraints, which do indeed seem to be plaguing the carriers. The new
iPad Mini with Retina Display is one of the most sought after holiday gift
items this year.

While Verizon and AT&T may not have any of the devices for
sale, Tiny Apple Bytes does have available devices. To get your iPad Mini with
Retina Display from Tiny Apple Bytes, simply visit our Bytes 4U page and select
the model you want!

In July Judge Denise Cote of the New York federal district
court passed a conviction down on the iPad, claiming that it was a part of a
conspiracy to increase e-book prices. This doesn’t really seem to make sense on
the surface, as the tablet actually caused e-book prices to drop when it
entered the market in 2010. Consumers were able to choose more freely where
they would purchase their e-books, and the competition subsequently caused a price
reduction.

The judge appointed a personal friend, Michael Bromwich, as
a monitor of the situation. However, Bromwich used his position to rip
into the Cupertino based tech giant. His role in the mess following the lawsuit
is rather scandalous, as he is billing Apple $1,100 per hour to investigate the
company. Oh, and as if that’s not enough, he has also called in a second law
firm to help ensure he gets the job done right because he has no experience in
this area. The first two weeks of his investigation landed Apple a bill for
$138,432.40.

Bromwich has asked for meetings with all of Apple’s upper
echelon, including Tim Cook and Jony Ive, presumably to pump them for
information. Judge Cote also wants Bromwich to meet with her every month and hand
over detailed reports of what he has found without having an Apple attorney
present at the meeting. The WSJ says this is completely unconstitutional.

The editorial column in the Journal says, "Special
masters are typically imposed on a company to remedy a pattern of especially
egregious conduct using a settlement consent decree in which litigants agree to
the terms of the appointment. Judge Cote foisted Mr. Bromwich on Apple over its
objections, to punish the company for what she ruled was price-fixing when the
late Jobs tried to alter the payment structure of e-books in December 2009 and
January 2010."

Judge Cote has withdrawn her request for private meetings
with Bromwich after Apple loudly voiced its objections. However, the Journal
says that withdrawing the request is not enough.

"The Second Circuit where her ruling is on appeal
should remove her from the case. Her condominium with Mr. Bromwich is offensive
to the rule of law and a disgrace to the judiciary.”

What do you think? Is this a gross abuse of power for a
judge to place a personal friend in charge of a massive investigation, then try
to gain information without both parties present? Tell us what you think in the
comments below.

The rumors have come to pass, and Apple and China Mobile
have signed a deal to launch the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in China. According to
the Wall Street Journal, China Mobile and Apple have signed the contract and
the 700 million subscribers the Chinese carrier has in its customer base will
soon be able to purchase their new iPhones.

China Mobile is the largest carrier in the world by
subscriber count, and a 700 million head market is a big stroke for Apple. That
means that China Mobile’s customer base is around two times the entire
population of the U.S. This deal has been in the making for several years, with
Apple executives trying to get a contract inked with the giant wireless
provider. No doubt the carrier will see great success with the iPhone launch to
its customer base, which is largely made up of China’s middle class.

Apple has been marketing the iPhone in China, and the
country is the second largest market for the Cupertino company, coming in
behind the United States. However, Apple has been losing ground to other
smartphone manufacturers, including Xiaomi. The reason for this is that
competitors often offer cheaper options than the iPhone, which attracts more
users.

In September, Apple was able to gain clearance from the
Chinese government to allow China Mobile to operate the iPhone on its wireless
network. This was a big victory for Apple, and quite possibly what has fueled
the rumors surrounding the deal for the last few months. Earlier this week,
China Mobile also made progress with the government, securing permission to
operate a fourth generation network. This new type of network uses TD-LTE
technology, which is extremely fast, and will replace the 3G network currently
in place.

This deal could mean a huge boost for Apple in the coming
weeks. The launch is rumored to be happening on December 18th, so we
don’t have long to wait until we find out just how big this deal is for both
companies.

Blackberry has managed to keep one loyal customer while enduring the
loss of millions of others to companies like Apple and Samsung. President Obama
has said that he is not allowed to use an iPhone because it is a security risk.
He told a group that because of “security reasons” an iPhone is off limits, and
instead he uses a Blackberry device.

Blackberry Turning
Sour

Blackberry was once the device of choice, but in recent
years the company has slipped from the forefront of the market to become a
distant memory in the minds of a 30 plus generation. The company shed market
share to Apple after the advent of the iPhone, and Samsung and other
manufacturers have been eating away at what was left of the manufacturer’s
customer base.

Blackberry has struggled just to maintain and even keel of late,
and recently its CEO, Thorsten Heins, was ousted and replaced by John Chen. The
company’s board hopes that Chen can turn the struggling smartphone maker
around, but in the meantime, any customer held on to is a plus. The fact that
the president of the United States is a loyal customer could be a major
advertising boon for the company.

Apple Growing Sweeter

Apple has become a world leader in the mobile market, with
its iPhone taking the world by storm. The iPad tablet line has also been a very
successful product for Apple and will no doubt help bolster sales during the
holiday shopping season. The release of the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c last year
have carried Apple through the year, and the recent launch of the iPad Miniwith Retina Display and the iPad Air have boosted its numbers.

While Blackberry may have succeeded in keeping Apple from
entering the White House, Apple may very well be the force that places
Blackberry execs in the poor house if Chen can’t straighten the ailing company
out.

From the tops of massive wind turbines to 50 feet below the surface of the water, the iPad has become a necessary part of many people's lives. Check out this awesome video from Apple detailing how iPad can be used in places you may have never thought it was possible to take a tablet.

Facebook and Twitter have been hacked on a global scale. I
know this sounds absurd, but the fact is that both of these networks have been
compromised due to the use of simple passwords. This cannot be blamed on a lack
of security by Facebook or Twitter. Instead, this one falls directly on the
users’ heads.

Trustwave is a Chicago based company that specializes in
cyber security. The company posted to its blog that more than 2 million
accounts on the Internet, including some on Facebook and Twitter, have been
compromised by the “Pony” botnet controller virus. The virus is a piece of
malware that spies on your computer via a keylogging script. It was spread
around to computers all over the world, leaving many of them exposed to the
hack.

Trustwave tracked the activities of the virus to a server in
the Netherlands. They managed to do this through an “elite team of ethical
hackers,” which successfully traced the information that had been stolen.
According to SpiderLabs, Trustwave’s “hacking division,” said that some 650,000
sets of website credentials were stolen in a blog post last June. This was done
through the Pony, version 1.9. However, according to the latest report, this
time the theft was a very “stable and consistent operation” while the report
from June described a more “hit and run” setup.

This time around, 1,580,000 website login credentials and
320,000 email logins were stolen through a server in the Netherlands. The
server was first spotted on November 24th, and the accounts that
have been compromised are numerous.

Here is a breakdown of the numbers:

·Facebook – 318,121

·Yahoo – 59,549

·Google – 54,437

·Twitter – 21,708

·Odnoklassniku (Russian social network) – 9,321

·LinkedIn – 8,490

·ADP (Payroll solutions provider) – 7,798

These accounts were compromised by a lack of private
security by users who chose weak passwords. If your password is “password” or “123456,”
then you’re at a much higher risk of being hacked than if you chose “SupercaliFragilisticExpealidocious.”
While that might seem a bit over the top, I am sure that the account holders at
ADP who found their money managing accounts compromised would disagree with you
wholeheartedly.

According to John Miller, a security manager at Trustwave, there
was “no evidence” that the hackers actually logged into the accounts. However,
he admitted there was no proof otherwise, saying, “but they probably did.”

The bottom line is that if you want to be secure in today’s
world, you should choose a password that’s hard to guess. Trustwave has
compiled a list of passwords they consider to be extremely insecure, and are
suggesting users do not ever incorporate into any online accounts.

1.123456

2. 123456789

3. 1234

4. password

5. 12345

6. 12345678

7. admin

8. 124

9. 1

10. 111111

Stay away from these passwords at all costs, and protect
yourself from attacks like this one. Trustwave did note that most of the
accounts that were compromised were located in the Netherlands, however, that
is not to say someone will not target the U.S. in the next attack.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) set its highest closing price of
2013 yesterday, when it closed at $566.32. The stock has not closed this high
since December 4th of 2012, which makes this the highest close in
more than a year. The stock could be well on its way to the $600 price target
set by Investor Place for January of 2014.

The holiday season is ramping up for Apple, and great
numbers from Black Friday and Cyber Monday have no doubt helped to bolster the
stock’s share price. It could be an Apple Christmas after all, if things keep
looking up for the Cupertino company.

No New iPhone

Last year’s holiday season marked one of the best that Apple
has ever seen. The launch of the iPhone 5 and iPad Mini boosted sales figures
through the roof, and the stock hit highs of more than $700. The following
months left shareholders feeling deflated as the stock then plummeted to less
than $400 per share, dashing the hopes of hitting $1100 price targets set by
over enthusiastic analysts.

Apple Looks Good

Apple is looking good these days, and although there is no
new iPhone this year, the launch of the iPad Air and iPad Mini with RetinaDisplay have proven sufficient attention grabbers. The public is snapping up these
two products, and Apple had even experienced a supply constraint on the iPad
Mini with Retina Display. Those issues seem to be easing now, and the device is
proving to be a popular gadget.

Current Movement

The stock is on the move again today, following yesterday’s encouraging
close. Currently it is trading at $563.52, which is a $2.80 decrease from its
opening price. However, the stock has been fluctuating above its opening price
most of the morning. No doubt, it will close near the same price it did yesterday,
if not above that price.

China Mobile and
Apple Inc. have been rumored to be planning an iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c launch
for the middle of this month. However, new developments in the story seemed to
indicate that China Mobile had opted to launch the phone earlier. In fact, a
website for one of the wireless conglomerate’s subsidiary companies in Suzhou
was launched late yesterday, with the option to pre-order the iPhone 5s and
iPhone 5c.

Report Based On Site

The story was published by Fortune’s online tech portal,
then later updated to reveal that China Mobile denied any deal with Apple being
fully developed. A spokesperson for the Chinese wireless carrier told CNN’s
Beijing office today that there is no deal with Apple yet. However, the fact
that a deal had been on the minds of the two companies is an undeniable fact.
Apple has been trying to sort out an agreement for more than six years with
China Mobile.

Apple's Biggest Holdout

China Mobile has more than 740 million subscribers on its
network, which makes it a valuable prize for Apple to acquire a contract with
the company. However, so far, China Mobile has been Apple’s biggest holdout.

If China Mobile were indeed testing a soft launch of the
iPhone 5 in its market, then Suzhou would have been a suitable place to do so.
This city is one of the richest in all of China, and it has a large population.
This population would not only be aware of the iPhone, but would also be able
to afford the purchase price.

Site Taken Down

The website which allowed for the pre-ordering of the iPhone
has been replaced with a page that has Chinese characters on it. According to
Google Translate, the page reads: "Reservation page information update,
will be reopened later appointment. Please try again later, thank you for your
support of Suzhou Mobile!" This change was made after China Mobile made
its statement to CNN that there was no deal with Apple Inc. Either the site was
a hoax, or China Mobile has pulled it down and denied any involvement with it.

Sunday, December 1, 2013

The Nasdaq stock exchange has had quite a year so far, with
a massive 33 percent increase that is equal to a 1,000 point rise. In fact, the
exchange topped the 4,000 mark just in time for Thanksgiving this year, and the
holiday shopping season is only just begun.

The Nasdaq is powered mostly by tech stocks, which explains
the big rise it has seen this year, as the tech market has expanded and grown
exponentially. While the massive increase in the exchange’s overall value seems
monumental – and it is – but it is so much more impressive because its number
one company by value has not really pushed the numbers this year.

Apple Not Keeping Up With The Rest Of The World

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is the most valuable stock in the
world. However, it has fallen far behind the pack this year, and has only risen
4.5 percent. Last September saw Apple Inc. touch its high water mark of $702,
followed by a subsequent slide and recovery to its current level of $556.07 per
share. The stock seemed to sour in the mouths of investors almost overnight,
and it shed value by more than $200 per share before finally leveling out and
making a comeback.

Apple Staging A Comeback

While it has seemed that shareholders in Apple have been left
with sour cider for the last few months, it is possible that some sweet nectar
may be just around the corner for the Cupertino company. We recently reported
that Apple is projected to hit $600 per share by January of next year, and the
company is climbing towards that mark each day.

While the stock gained $10.11 per share today and rose by
1.85 percent, the fact that it is inching towards that $600 mark could be a
sign that investor confidence in the company is once again growing. The company
is a conundrum of sorts, with analysts having multiple predictions regarding
its future. However, the company has a huge cash pile, which Carl Icahn
believes should be distributed through a massive share buyback program. The company
also manufactures and sells the premier electronic devices of the day, with
iPhone and iPad being household words in America and other thriving nations.

What Does The Future Hold?

Will Apple make a comeback to its glory days in the $700
price range? I think so, although I look for it to be somewhere in the fall of
next year. I believe the iPhone 6 launch and possibility of an iWatch launch
could be the catalysts to push the stock back to its stellar heights. In the
meantime, buying shares of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) seems to be a great way to
squeeze some juice from the sometimes bitter market.

Disclosure: Author holds no position in any stock mentioned
at the time of this writing.

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Apple products were on many people’s must have list for
Black Friday deals. While the general public may be interested in purchasing
Apple products, analysts have been paying attention to how they are buying
their products.

Apple products not only dominate the sales at many retail
venues, but also the way people are making their purchases. According to IBM’s
Digital Analytics Benchmark group, Apple products dominated 80 percent of the
orders made online from mobile devices. The group is a "digital analytics
platform that tracks millions of transactions and analyzes terabytes of raw
data from approximately 800 retail sites nationwide.”

According to the report, the number of buyers who use mobile
devices to make purchases online increased by 9 percent last year. Other
numbers of not include that mobile devices now make up 37 percent of all shopping
traffic, and a total of 21 percent of online sales.

Apple’s iOS led the charge with more than 80 percent of
sales from mobile devices placed from an iOS based device. Apple also dominated
traffic for the holiday, with 26 percent. Android, Google’s OS, only recorded
11 percent of the traffic. Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS, Blackberry, and other
small mobile systems did not generate enough to make note of.

IBM’s researchers also noted that iOS users spent more money
than those who purchased via an Android device. In fact, iOS users spent 18
percent more than Android users. The average purchase per order for iOS users
was $131.34, while Android’s users spent only $11.35 on average.

Apple has become perhaps the single most powerful force in
the mobile industry. With both its own OS and its own line of phones and
tablets, Apple has more to offer than Google, Samsung, or any other competitor.
The quality of Apple products is perhaps the biggest draw the company has.
Owning an iPad or iPhone was once a status symbol; now it is quickly becoming
status quo.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Bitcoin is the new virtual currency that has captivated the
attention of the entire world. When Bitcoin first hit the world news scene it
was in relationship to the demise of Silk Road, the website where consumers
could purchase drugs anonymously, by using Bitcoins as the payment system. Now,
with more nations recognizing the currency as a reputable means of payment, the
currency’s value is skyrocketing.

Bitcoin prices were much cheaper, when a single coin cost $11.00 in November of last year. However, it recently passed the threshold of $1,000 per coin and today
hit a high water mark of $1,242. This is an amazing growth rate for the
currency, and it has not gone unnoticed by the world.

Meanwhile, gold, which has always been considered a stable
form of currency, is dropping in value. It has fallen from more than $1,700 per
ounce to a price of just $1,250 per ounce. Gold has registered a drop of around
25 percent so far for the year. This could be a real problem for the U.S. and
other countries who’s currency systems are backed by gold bullion.

The Federal Reserve Chairman, Ben Bernanke, said that
Bitcoin may be the answer for the future, noting that it “may hold long term
promise.” Could it be that we are about to witness a major change in the way
that individuals, businesses, and even nations store their wealth. Will our
currency be backed by a virtual coin rather than solid gold as it has in the
past?

I don’t think that’s what is happening with the popularity
of Bitcoin. After all, you still have to use real currency to pay for it,
whether its U.S. dollars or Japanese Yen, which both are backed by gold.

Apple Inc. is offering Black Friday deals in the U.S. and
Canada that mimic the deals offered in Australia. The company will be giving
customers gift cards to spend in the Apple Store rather than offering huge
discounts on products like the iPad Mini with Retina Display. While this may be
a disappointment to some shoppers, it is a smart move by Apple.

In Europe, Apple opted for more traditional discounts rather
than giving gift cards. According to Apple Insider, customers wishing to see
direct cash savings on new Apple products should try authorized resellers like
MacMall, Best Buy, and Amazon.

In regards to Apple’s deals offered via its gift card
program, the U.S. package looks to be pretty good. The iPad Air will land you a
$75 gift card to the Apple Store, and the standard iPad Mini or iPad 2 will net
a $50 card. A MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, or iMac earns a $150 gift card. iPod
Touch snags $50 and the iPod nano and Apple TV will get you a $25 gift card.
Unfortunately the iPhone does not qualify for any rebates or discounts this
year.

This swap from the normal discount programs is most likely a
push for the company to retain its profit margins. Giving the gift cards will
help customers grab more loot from the Apple Store than they normally would,
but it doesn’t help reduce the bottom line of what they have to spend.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

Apple has kicked off the holiday selling season in Australia
by launching its Black Friday deals. Interestingly enough, there are no big
discounts in the Apple Store itself this year. Instead, consumers will be
receiving Apple Store Gift Cards with amounts up to A$150, which is equivalent
to USD $137.

A breakdown of some of the offers are as follows:

iPad Air = A$75

iPad Mini or iPad 2 = A$50

iPod Touch = A$50

iPod Nano = A$25

iMac, MacBook Pro, & MacBook Air = A$150

Exotics (Parrot AR.Drone 2.0, Apogee JAM Guitar Input = A$25
– A$50

While it seems odd, Apple has not offered a gift card for
the iPad Mini with Retina Display. This
could possibly be explained by the inability of the supply to meet demand for
the powerful little tablet. Last year Apple offered immediate discounts on
purchases from the store. Most of these discounts were in the 10% range, such
as a $41 discount for the iPad and $101 for the MacBook Pro.

What do you think: Should Apple use gift cards, or give
direct discounts like other retailers on Black Friday?

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

In a report today from Sam Collins, the Chief Technical
Analyst for Investor Place, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is predicted to hit $600
as early as January.

Apple's Drop

In the report, Collins notes the numerous times he rated
$AAPL as a Sell, beginning on October 9 of 2012, when the stock was trading at
$638.

Apple was on a downward trend at the time, which continued
through December, when he recommended again that investors sell the tech stock,
as it had dropped to $510 per share. On February 28th of this year,
he made yet another sell recommendation, giving the stock a target of only $450
to $500 on the downside. At that time, the stock was bringing only $440 per
share.

Summer Turnaround

In July, Collins noted that when the stock was near $410 per
share, he said, “All shorts should be covered in light of a possible saucer
forming. A close above the resistance line at $465 would signal that a long
term bottom has finally been established.”

This prediction proved to be true, and in September Collins said,
“The bullish saucer formation has continued to develop, a golden cross has
formed, and MACD triggered a buy signal. The final bullish signal would be for
AAPL to close above the resistance line at $500, but those who wish to take a
modest risk could take positions now with a trading target of $570 and a
stop-loss at $455. Apple has become a moving target, but a well-placed arrow
here could result in a bushel of profits.”

Apple Evens Out

Since September Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has consistently
closed above $500 per share. It has remained just under the $540 per share
mark, and according to Collins this bodes well for the stock going forward.

He says that a close above the $540 line on a higher volume
should boost the stock to the $570 target price set by Investor Place. From
there, it is just a short hop to $600, which is the price target he believes
Apple will hit in January of 2014.

Whether this prediction will come true remains to be seen.
However, in light of Apple’s success with the iPhone 5s and the fact that China
Mobile will be launching the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in December, a $600 price
target does not seem to far out of reach.

Demand for the iPhone 5s has caused Apple supplier Foxconn
to boost its production to 500,000 units per day. With the holiday shopping
season quickly approaching, the need to reduce the bottlenecks in supplies has
increased.

According to reports, the Taiwan based Foxconn has dedicated
100 of its assembly lines strictly to the iPhone 5s. The Zhengzhou factory has
more than 300,000 employees working on the iPhone 5s around the clock.

This big
boost in production has helped ease the supply constraints and reduced the
amount of time required for shipping a new iPhone. Reports came in during the
early stages of release that iPhone 5s customers were waiting as much as 3
weeks to receive their new device. However, that wait time has now been reduced
to 3-5 days.

Foxconn has indicated that it is at maximum production for
the iPhone 5s, and rumors of Apple’s desire to diversify its supply chain could
be leading to the company being unwilling to dedicate more of its employees to
the iPhone. If Apple selects other suppliers to produce its products, Foxconn’s
share of the pie could get substantially smaller.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Apple had better watch out for the up and coming convertible
tablets offered by its competitors. Companies like Microsoft and Nokia have
launched tablets that are operable through both a touchscreen and an attachable
keyboard.

While Apple has poked fun at these tablets, claiming that combing
a tablet and a PC in one unit is like combining a refrigerator and a toaster;
it appears that the Cupertino company may have more competition than expected
from them.

NPD DisplaySearch

According to research conducted by NPD DisplaySearch, the
tablet market is forecast to see 19.8 million touchscreen notebook PCs shipped
this year. This number is equal to about 11 percent of the overall number of
tablets shipped in 2013.

The number of notebooks being shipped has also grown
throughout the year. In the first half of the year, these miniature PCs
controlled only a 7 percent market share. The tablet makers have been adding
the touchscreen feature to their “ultra-slim” PC units, and allowing consumers
the ability to use it as either a tablet or a computer.

Which Brands Control The Tablet Market

The one manufacturer that has really embraced the
touchscreen technology is ASUS, with one fifth of its laptops now operating
with touchscreen capabilities. Sony has followed close behind with 17.6 percent
of its notebooks utilizing the technology.

In terms of market share, ASUS holds the largest piece of
the pie at 26.3 percent. However, Lenovo, which uses touchscreens in only 7.4
percent of the laptops shipped, has a 14.7 percent share in the market.

Apple Refuses To Conform

Apple seems to be the only renegade company on the market.
Tim Cook has firmly announced that Apple will be keeping its iPad and iMac
lineup separate from each other. Apparently, Apple executives feel that if a
consumer wants a tablet, they should buy a tablet, and if they want a laptop,
then they should buy a laptop.

Reports are surfacing regarding the alleged abuse of worker’s
rights in yet another Chinese factory that supplies companies like Apple,
Samsung, and HTC with parts for their smartphones. This time the report focuses
on Biel Crystal Manufactory, a company that supplies screens for the iPhone to
Apple.

Undercover
Investigation

According to a report released by the Students Scholars
Against Corporate Misbehaviour, also known as SACOM, employees must work for
all but one day each month. Each workday is allegedly eleven hours long, which
equals three hours of required overtime daily.

The report is built from research that was carried out
through 60 off-site interviews with employees. SACOM also launched an undercover
investigation into the factories owned by Biel Crystal Manufactory. Biel is one
of the largest glass producers in the mobile industry, and reportedly accounts
for 60 percent of the glass used by Apple in its products. Samsung receives 20
percent of its glass from the supplier, and other noted customers are HTC,
Nokia, and Lenovo.

Worker Speaks Out

One worker interviewed from the quality control area of the
company gave the following statement to SACOM:

"Biel has a lot of orders from Apple and Samsung.
There's no such thing as peak or non-peak seasons in the factory. Almost every
month is a peak season, and we just work and work. We have to work three hours
overtime every day from Mondays to Fridays, and we work another two full days
(meaning 11 hours per day) on Saturdays and Sundays. There is no break at all
until we shift duty at the end of each month."

Safety Is Disregarded

SACOM, which is based in Hong Kong, also claims that Biel is
not meeting safety requirements set by the Chinese government. Many of the
workers who are injured in the factories are allegedly denied compensation for
their injuries. The report also claims that employees have been fined for not
meeting production quotas or for falling asleep on the job. Other fines have
been levied if a worker breaks glass.

SACOM says the employees are forced to sign a blank
contract, which is then required to be returned to the company when the worker
decides to quit. This eliminates the ties between the employee and the
employer, protecting Biel from lawsuits levied in the future.

Suicide is another issue noted in the report, with one
factory in Guangdong reporting five workers having killed themselves in the
last three years alone.

"We insist that our suppliers provide safe working
conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally
responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made. Every
year, Apple inspects more factories, going deeper into the supply chain and
raising the bar for our suppliers. In 2012, we conducted 393 audits at supplier
facilities around the world."

Monday, November 25, 2013

Apple is rolling out a new product for the hearing impaired
that just might make life a little easier for them. Apple has partnered with
Copenhagen based GN ReSound to make the first Made for iPhone hearing aids.

According to Reuters, the LiNX hearing aids have been made
available on the market, and what makes them extremely different from their
predecessors is that they will link directly to an iPhone. Prior models of
wireless hearing aids for cell phones were designed to connect to Bluetooth
enabled phones via a “streamer” that acted as a portal for the devices.

Low Energy Technology

The hearing aids utilize the same Bluetooth technology that
Apple uses to power its iBeacon micro-location devices. It operates on the 2.4
gigahertz band using Bluetooth’s low energy mode. The hearing aids serve as
much more than a conversation helper for the hearing impaired. They can stream
music as well as be used for calls. The adjustments for the devices are all
handled through an iOS app that is specially designed for them.

Competition Heating
Up

There are other companies in the mix who are all vying for a
piece of Apple’s market, and similar products are being developed. Starkey
Technologies of Minnesota, and William Demant of Smørum, Denmark are also expected to release
devices, although no official announcement has been made.

Apple Is Striving To
Improve The World

Apple has dedicated a lot of resources to the project,
trying to help hearing impaired people find a device that is useful for their
lives in the iPhone. Both Apple and GNReSound personnel have made trips across
the water to refine the devices and make them longer lasting in terms of
battery usage.

Apple will be retailing the hearing aids at a cost of just
more than $3,000.00 each. While this might seem like a premium price for
hearing aids, to an iPhone owner who is hearing impaired, it just might be an
answer to prayer.

Samsung lawyer Bill Price may have given Apple a whole new
appeal to the market with his closing statement in the Apple VS Samsung patent
infringement case.

Price’s closing statements indicated that Samsung felt that
although some of Apple’s patents had been copied, they were not necessarily
patents that should only apply to the iPhone. Price said, “Apple has tried to
mischaracterize these patents so they are the iPhone. These patents are very
narrow…Apple doesn’t own beautiful and sexy.”

That final sentence could be taken as an admission that
Samsun simply did not have the design talent to build a phone that was sleek
and appealing, the way the iPhone has been since it first debuted. It almost
sounds like Price is admitting that Samsung was defeated in trying to engineer
its own line of beautiful smartphones, so it poached Apple’s design for its own
devices.

It appears that the technical genius behind the iPhone is
not all that Samsung and other Apple rivals hope to overcome. Rather, instead
the aesthetically appealing design of the unit, coupled with its intense
versatility holds sway over competitors.

Many of those who delve into the technical realm would
disagree that Apple has great success due to its marketing, but rather choose
to believe that it is merely the technical beauty of the product that sells.
However, even the most technical minded person would have to agree that Apple’s
product design is very beautiful and appealing to the public.

While the engineers may find it hard to believe that many
people flock to the attractive design of the iPhone, iPad, and other Apple
products without knowing the full technical capabilities of them, it happens
every day. In fact, the average consumer probably uses less than 50 percent of
their iPad’s true capabilities, choosing simply to surf the web and play games.

I guess, when you get right down to it, Apple does own beautiful
and sexy…and owns it well.

The iWatch is a fabled product that Apple buffs have been
hinting about for several years. The idea of a wearable piece of technology
that can help your fitness routine, provide music, and allow you to check your
email without ever causing you to lose track of time, is a tempting thought at
the least. Now, there could be evidence that Apple truly is developing such a
product.

According to a report by DigiTimes, Apple has tapped the
services of Taiwan based Quanta computers to develop the iWatch and production
pilots are already underway. The device has been pushed back from the first
quarter of next year to the second according to the report because of low
yields. Foxconn has also been invited into the project, but the split between
the two companies is as of now undetermined.

Jumbo iPad

Quanta will also be responsible for building Apple’s new iPad,
which is rumored to have a 12.9 inch screen.
According to the report, the company expects supplies of the larger
scaled tablet to be limited due to the fact that components for a tablet of
this size are not currently available in the mainstream market. This means
there could be a supply constraint until the idea of larger tablets catches on
with component manufacturers. The new larger iPad will most likely be used in
the education and business fields, rather than for personal home use.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Well, Apple has finally made its acquisition of PrimeSense,
the Israeli company that builds 3D vision sensors for machines like the X-Box
Kinect. According to reports, the company was purchased for a price in the
neighborhood of $360 million.

Krisitn Huguet, an Apple spokeswoman, confirmed the deal,
but did not divulge what Apple plans to do with its new acquisition. She said, “Apple
buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not
discuss our purpose or plans.” This answer is altogether typical of Apple Inc.,
as Tim Cook never likes to tip his hand in the middle of the game.

Apple could utilize the technology from PrimeSense in many
different ways, as the company has moved away from its original sensor program
that built large pieces, similar to the one in Kinect. The company’s new line
of sensors, like the Capri, would work well for mobile devices.

PrimeSense is the perfect acquisition for the Cupertino
company, as it will give Apple a direct line on motion sensitive sensors for
its new products, which could include an Apple TV and an iWatch. I guess we
will have to wait and see what the tech giant does with its new toy, although it’s
highly likely that Tim Cook would like to find a way to use it to boot Samsung
from the market for good.

The holiday season promises to be a busy one for companies
in the tech sector. Each year, the hottest item on many people’s wish list is a
tech gadget, such as the latest smartphone or computer. This year, two of the most
desirable items in the mobile sector are the Apple iPad Mini with Retina
Display and Google’s Nexus 7 tablet.

Both of these tablets have a lot to offer, and while the
iPad Mini is definitely receiving a lot of hype, the Nexus 7 is nothing to
sneeze at when comparing the two.

iPad Mini with Retina
Display

This tablet, which is the second generation iPad Mini,
sports a 7.9 inch screen with Apple’s super clear Retina Display. The tiny screen contains more than 3.1
million pixels, allowing for crystal clear image and video display. This number
is more than 1 million pixels higher than the amount found in a high definition
TV.

The iPad Mini with Retina Display is priced at eight
different price points. The Wi-Fi only models start at $399 for the 16GB and increase
$100 in price for each step up in memory size. The internal memory packages
available are 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB. For the Wi-Fi plus cellular models,
the price points start at $529 and increase in $100 increments to $829 for the
128 GB model.

Google Nexus 7

Google’s revamped Nexus tablet is in its 7th
generation, and the new model is quite attractive. It comes with a 7 inch
display that delivers high quality HD video and images. The Nexus 7 is
available in 16GB and 32GB models, and comes with 1GB RAM. It also sports an
NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor.

The Nexus 7 runs on Android Jellybean 4.2, has a built in
GPS tracker, and a 1.2 megapixel forward facing camera. This powerful little
tablet can connect via WiFi, Bluetooth, and NFC (Android Beam) to other
devices. It can also connect to the World Wide Web via WiFi and a data
connection through a cellular provider.

The 16GB model of the Nexus 7, which connects only via WiFi
to the Internet, is priced at just $229. The 32GB model that is WiFi only is
just a $40 jump up to $269. The 32GB WiFi, LTE, and HSPA capable model is
priced at just $349.

Pricing May Be The
Key To Big Holiday Numbers

With Google offering its Nexus 7 tablet at a much more
affordable price point that the iPad Mini, Apple will find some stiff
competition this year. Many people will be opting for the money saving purchase
of the Nexus 7 over the more premium features of the iPad. However, there will
be the faithful following that Apple has created which will purchase the iPad
Mini with Retina Display, simply because it is an iPad.

What will you be purchasing this year for Christmas? Tell us
in the comments below.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Apple has made a big deal of its Retina Display capabilities
with the iPhone 5S and the iPad tablet line. The resolution on these devices is
extremely sharp, at 1136 x 640, and it presents crystal clear images and
videos. However, a new report says that Samsung may have a new technology
through Qualcomm that tops Retina with a resolution of 3840 x 2160.

The report, written by Nigram Arora, an engineer and nuclear
physicist, details his opinion that this new technology from Qualcomm could
give Samsung and other mobile handset manufacturers a one up on Apple. The only
way for Apple to prevent this from happening is for the company to develop a
new display that meets or beats the specs of the Qualcomm device.

Foxconn, Apple’s largest supplier of parts for the iPhone 5s
and iPhone 5c, is planning to open a factory on U.S. soil. The Taiwan based
electronics company is planning on investing $40 million in the state of
Pennsylvania for a new facility and for research and development.

The Plan

According to reports, Terry Gou revealed the plan this week
to invest $30 million in a new facility in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This new
factory will be responsible for assembling components for telecommunications
equipment and Internet servers.

The remaining $10 million of the $40 million proposed for
the project will be spent on research and development at Carnegie Mellon
University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Rumors Confirmed

The announcement confirms rumors from last year that
suggested Gou had plans for expansion on U.S. soil. There is no definite answer
as to whether the American factories will be handling any Apple products at
all. But, there will be an added benefit to the Harrisburg community, with
approximately 500 jobs to be added to the 30 that are currently provided by
Foxconn.

Corporations Catching
Heat For Far East Labor

Foxconn officials mentioned last year that the idea of
making some of their products in America was interesting, simply because there
is a strong demand for it from American consumers. The electronics giant
already had plans in action for a training program for U.S. engineers through
MIT.

Large corporations like Apple have come into the microscope
of the press lately regarding the labor practices of their suppliers. With some
critics pointing out horrible working conditions and poor living arrangements
for factories in China, a move to the U.S. would be a good one in terms of
publicity.

Apple has responded to consumer complaints by making a
promise to consumers that its top of the line Mac Pro desktop computer entirely
in the U.S. The assembly of the Mac Pro will be completed by Flextronics in
Texas, while Foxconn will be relinquishing the duties to the American company.

Apple has launched its walk-in sales for iPad Mini with
Retina Display in its retail stores in New York. Aside from the retail stores,
some partnering wireless carriers in the region are also beginning to anno iPad
Mini With Retina Display Now Available In NY Apple Stores

Apple has launched its walk-in sales for iPad Mini with
Retina Display in its retail stores in New York. Aside from the retail stores,
some partnering wireless carriers in the region are also beginning to announce
that the tablet is available. This could be the start of a wide reaching
rollout for the new tablet.

New York Stores First

The NYC stores were the first on the list to get the tablets
in large enough quantities to allow walk-in sales. Brian J. White of Cantor
Fitzgerald wrote a note to investors this morning that said that the Upper West
Side location, Chelsea, and the downtown Fifth Avenue location have the tablets
in stock. None of the other stores in or out of the city have a supply of the
miniature iPads in stock.

White is a very dedicated Apple watcher, and he predicted
earlier that Apple would launch walk-in sales of the iPad Mini with Retina
Display this week. Now he thinks that Apple will launch the tablet in more
locations next week. This will be Apple’s big score for Black Friday
preparations.

Carriers

The iPad Mini with Retina Display is also becoming available
at select carriers in the United States. Bluegrass Wireless in Kentucky
announced that the tablet was immediately available earlier today. C-Spire
Wireless and U.S. Cellular have indicated that both of them should have the
tablet in stock by the end of November.

Quiet Launch

Apple’s nearly silent launch of the iPad Mini with Retina
Display was highly uncharacteristic of the Cupertino company. Normally, new
products are launched with much fanfare and a public event. The launch for this
tablet took place at midnight with a subtle change to Apple’s retail website.
Many analysts still believe this was due to the limited supply of the tiny
tablets.

Apple’s newest web page gives consumers some insight into
the many ways that the iPad can be utilized in everyday life. It features
stories that explain how people around the world use iPad to help them in their
careers, from Broadway to underwater photo taking.

The page contains 6 stories in all, and each of them is
remarkably different from the last one. All 6 of the stories explain a unique
usage that particular businesses or individuals have found to utilize iPad in
their daily routine.

Siemens

Siemens Energy is one of the leaders in wind energy
technology, and the story of Siemens and iPad working together to bring power
to America is pretty amazing. The story explains how workers on Siemens’
massive projects would often need manuals and blueprints brought 250 feet up
into the air via crane in order to get the information they needed to complete
the project.

However, with iPad that all changed. Now, the information is
right at their fingertips, with apps, email, and hard drive storage for all of
the blueprints and documents they once had to carry.

This is just one of the stories found on the Life on iPad
page on Apple’s website. Check the rest of them out, and prepare to be amazed
at just how versatile these little tablets can be.

After 4 days of dealing with the flu, we am finally back and able to write again. We apologize for the lack of news over the last few days, and we will make up for that over the next few days.

However, I am back now, and I plan to have some great content today. There are some really good stories surfacing in the Apple community, so watch for our posts, as we give you the best stories right here!

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

The Cupertino City Council delivered a vote that was
unanimous in its decision to approve Apple’s new campus. In return, the city
also voted to hack 15 percent off of the tax break that Apple currently
receives from the city.

Cupertino Keeps Apple
Alive

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is America’s richest company by
market capitalization. Last year, the company reported a net income of $41.7
billion, which is a complete 180 degree turn-around from 1997, when Apple was
on the verge of failing. During this tough time in Apple’s history, the city
voted to give the company a break. The measures taken to help ensure Apple’s
success included returning 50 percent of the taxes that Apple generated through
business to business sales. This was the city’s way of making sure that Apple
not only survived, but also stayed in Cupertino, a move that has most definitely
proven profitable for the city in recent years.

The new terms will reduce the amount of taxes returned to
just 35 percent, which means that the Cupertino residents will only pay Apple
$4.4 million to retain its Cupertino address, based on 2012 tax revenue.

Mayor Orrin Mahoney said on Tuesday that, “There will be
short-term and long-term impacts from this new development. And as part of our
negotiations, this change was just one way that Apple could continue to help us
out in the long-term. This will give us some additional revenue, which will be
nice to have.”

Take-Away

So, Apple gets to build the campus that Steve Jobs had
envisioned several years in the past. Cupertino gets to keep the most valuable
company in America within the safe confines of its tax barriers and gets an
increase in revenue from the tech giant. Not a bad day for all parties
concerned.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Rumors of Apple being in the development stages of a
wearable smart device, which has been labeled the iWatch, have been circulating
for quite some time. Those rumors have grown considerably more popular in
recent days.

Galaxy Gear Is A Flop

Apple’s arch-enemy, Samsung, released its version of an
iWatch in September. The Galaxy Gear was launched amid fanfare and advertising,
which led many to believe the device would be a popular piece on consumer
shopping lists. However, as of now, the device is a flop as far as sales are
concerned.

Since the device debuted at the end of September, it has
recorded approximately 50,000 sales. This number is well below what the company
expected to sell, and everyone knows it. BusinessKorea said on Monday that the
daily sales of the Galaxy Gear are in the 800 to 900 unit range. The
publication notes that this is “far below initial expectations.”

Part of the reason for low sales is the fact that many of
the initial reviews of the product slammed it pretty hard. The major faults
noted in reviews were the high price of $300, the short battery life, and the
initial limitation of connectivity with only the Galaxy Note 3. The last issue
was later resolved, with support for the Galaxy S3, S4, and Note 2 being added
to the device.

Apple’s Plans

According to the rumor mill, Apple will be releasing an iWatch
next year. The difference between Apple’s product and the Galaxy Gear is that
Apple’s product is rumored to center around the physical health of its owner.
With special biometric sensors, the iWatch may be able to offer valuable
feedback regarding the medical conditions of the wearer.

All of this is still conjecture at this point, as Apple has
not yet conceded that an iWatch is in development. However, the rumor mill,
although sometimes missing the mark, is for the most part a fairly reliable
source. If the rumors do prove true,
then Apple will have to make sure the iWatch outperforms the Galaxy Gear, or
the company could end up with time on its hands.

Apple Inc. has a new love that may only be exceeded by its
love for clean energy. This new love is sapphire glass, and it could just be
the next big thing when it comes to smartphone screens.

Sapphire glass is made through a process that takes more
than two weeks to complete, and requires the ingredients to be heated to 2,100
degrees Celsius. The end result is a product that is virtually scratch proof.
The video below explains how the process works.

Apple’s Arizona Glass
Factory

Apple has invested heavily in a new factory in Arizona that
will manufacture sapphire glass for its new display screens. The agreement
Apple signed with GT Advanced Technologies to produce the glass involved Apple
paying $578 million in advance to the company. The factory will reportedly
create 2,000 jobs in the Mesa area, including the construction jobs involved
with building the facility. In theory, sheets of sapphire could be sliced
thinner than a human hair, which would make it the most lightweight, durable
screen material ever invented.

How Does Sapphire Compare
To Gorilla Glass?

The cost of sapphire compared to manufacturing Corning’s
Gorilla Glass is nearly ten times more expensive. The reason for this is
partially that Gorilla Glass has already been around for a while, so the
process for manufacturing it has been streamlined. However, sapphire glass is a
brand new item on the market, and is sure to be a hot commodity for a while.
The cost for a smartphone screen made out of Gorilla Glass is in the $3 price
range, while a sapphire glass screen will cost closer to $30. Estimates say
that once production of sapphire becomes more commonplace, the cost will be
reduced to only three to four times that of Gorilla Glass.

iPhone 6

Apple is rumored to be prepping the iPhone 6 to launch
sometime next year. According to reports, the phone will utilize sapphire glass
for its display screen, which is highly believable. At the current time, Apple
uses sapphire glass on its iPhone 5s, but only for the Touch ID button, not the
whole screen. If the iPhone 6 sports sapphire glass as its full display, then
the cost of the model will most likely be raised to cover the cost of the added
glass. However, demand is almost guaranteed to be extremely high, given the
indestructible nature of sapphire glass.

Tell us what you think. Will the iPhone 6 have a full
sapphire glass display? Leave your comment below and share your opinion with
others.

The iPad Min with Retina Display has been a much hyped
device, and Apple Inc. is set to sell a lot of them this holiday season.
However, there seems to a be a couple of minor issues that tag along with the tiny
tablet computer, and both of them are tied to the display.

Image Retention

The first issue noted by reviewers of the iPad Mini with
Retina Display is that some of the units suffer from minor cases of image
retention. We reported last week that this issue had been noted by several
consumers on Twitter, as well as multiple blogs around the web. However, while
iPad Mini owners could return the units for new ones, the issue is not a threat
to long term usage of the device. Also, image retention is not the same as
burn-in noted on LCD screens, where the image is permanently etched. The image
retention associated with Retina Display iPad Minis is temporary.

Color Depth

The second issue with the new iPad Mini’s display is coming
to the forefront today, as noted by AnandTech.com. The Retina Display on the
new iPad Mini is not as rich in color as that of its big brother, the iPad Air.
In fact, the color difference can easily be seen when compared side by side.

Why Is The Color Gamut Different From The iPad Air?

The iPad Mini with Retina Display uses the same 2048 x 1536
resolution as the iPad Air, but it is in a much smaller screen, which makes it
the densest display of any Apple device in terms of pixels. The text and
graphics appear to be sharper and clearer than ever before.

So, if the display is sharper, why the issue with color
saturation not matching the iPad Air? This is easily explained by the fact that
Apple simply used the same color gamut for the new iPad Mini with Retina
Display as it did for the previous iPad Mini. While the display is as high
definition as you can get from Apple, the color range doesn’t tout the same
quality as the picture sharpness.

What Does This Mean For Apple?

This could prove to be a marketing problem for Apple, as
there are other tablets in the same price range that do offer the more dense
color coverage. While Apple is a premium brand name that people love to buy,
consumers expect the brand to live up to its premium price tag as well.
Unfortunately, for some consumers, the iPad Mini with Retina Display simply won’t
be worth the cost because of issues like image retention and poor color
density.

Apple Inc. is a big supporter of clean energy, and that is
not a big secret in corporate America. Apple is reportedly planning a huge new data center that will run entirely on clean energy, as we reported last week. The company has been noted by multiple
sources to be very active in promoting cleaner electricity and fuel sources for
not only its own data centers, but for the rest of the world as well.

In North Carolina, Apple took an unprecedented step by
building its own fuel cell farms and solar farms to create clean energy for its
data centers there. While Google and Facebook both support clean energy, and
have requested the means to purchase electricity from clean sources, Apple is
the only company to actually do something to better the world surrounding its
data center.

GigaOM reporter Katie Fehrenbacher has an exclusive look at
Apple’s data center and the energy that powers it. The report is both
interesting, and compelling. Read the entire article here.

Foxconn is easily one of Apple’s largest suppliers when it
comes to the iPhone5. The company has been one of Apple’s go-to suppliers on
almost every major project involving the iPhone, and its size and scale make it
the perfect manufacturer for Apple’s flagship product.

All of these facts come to mind now that rumors are circulating
that Foxconn is going to reduce iPhone 5c production at its factory in
Zhengzhou, which is located in northern China. The company is not breaking ties
with Apple, but is rather shifting its focus over to the more expensive iPhone
5s. According to a report by DigiTimes, which cites unidentified “industry sources,”
Foxconn will be cutting back on production of the iPhone 5c, so that more of
the iPhone 5s units can be manufactured and sent out the door.

As of right now, Foxconn handles roughly 30 percent of Apple’s
iPhone 5c orders, while the other 70 percent is handled by Pegatron Technology.
Pegatron’s production of the iPhone 5c has also been reduced since the device
first went on sale in September of this year.

This is the first time ever that Apple has launched two
separate iPhone models, with the iPhone 5c coming in a variety of colors and a
plastic case. The iPhone 5s sports a much sturdier aluminum casing and is the
exclusive device that has the Touch ID fingerprint sensor that allows only the
phone’s owner to have access. While the iPhone 5c is cheaper, the more costly
model seems to be the favorite with early purchasers. However, several people have
predicted that the iPhone 5c will see its own share of success in the long run.